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This page summarizes the release roadmap for ns-3.  A summary of current development activities can be found [[Current Development|here]].
ns-3 is a community-driven project, and as such, we cannot typically make guarantees about the availability of new or improved code; our maintainers work largely on a best-effort basis.  However, we use this page to describe our goals (time-permitting) for each release, and where we broadly are trying to steer the project for the future.


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== ns-3.48 plans ==


== Release schedule ==
ns-3.48 is scheduled for May 2026.


ns-3 is still in a pre-alpha state, with monthly development releases. We are aiming for an ns-3.1 release in late June 2008.
The most up-to-date listing of items being worked on in this release cycle can be seen by browsing [https://gitlab.com/nsnam/ns-3-dev/-/merge_requests?scope=all&state=opened&milestone_title=ns-3.48 Merge requests] and [https://gitlab.com/nsnam/ns-3-dev/-/issues?scope=all&state=opened&milestone_title=ns-3.48 Issues] in the GitLab.com tracker that are tagged with the 'Milestone ns-3.48' tag.


=== late June, 2008 (ns-3.1) ===
Besides this, the following [https://www.nsnam.org/about/governance/maintainers/ ns-3 maintainers] announced plans to work on the following topics:


==== ns-3.1 overview ====
* Tom Henderson is prioritizing:
** Supporting wifi (and eventual ns-3-dev) transition to strongly-typed quantities and units
** Merging GSoC 2025 code [https://gitlab.com/nsnam/ns-3-dev/-/merge_requests/2571 Orbital NTN] and [https://gitlab.com/nsnam/ns-3-dev/-/merge_requests/2482 6LoWPAN ND]
** Seeing if we can revive [https://github.com/direct-code-execution/ns-3-dce/pull/147 ns-3 DCE]
** Working on issue and MR backlog
* Biljana Bojovic from the highest to the lowest priority:
** Reviewing Sionna MR https://gitlab.com/nsnam/ns-3-dev/-/merge_requests/2608
** Try to revive NGMN traffic generators MR: https://gitlab.com/nsnam/ns-3-dev/-/merge_requests/2245
** Help with other ns-3 MR backlog
** Would like to work also on:
*** the precoding matrix conversion modelling options
*** check if feasible to port some 3GPP models calibration scripts to ns-3
*** ns-3 with GPUs
*** LLMs for 5G-LENA doxygen


In general, ns-3 is trying to finalize the API including final revisions to the object model, to the default value system, and to higher-level topology/scenario code.
== Long term ==


An initial strawman for the ns-3.1 release is discussed in [http://mailman.isi.edu/pipermail/ns-developers/2008-April/003993.html this thread].
== Historical information ==


'''Note:''' Different numbering (e.g., major/minor, with even numbers corresponding to "stable" and odd to "unstable") may be adopted.
see the [[Current_Development]] page for some older Roadmap items (many have been abandoned)
 
==== Items to finish for ns-3.1 ====
 
'''Note: This needs updated to account for some python bindings slip'''
 
# documentation: need work to convert tutorial to new helper API.
# socket implementation bugs:
## udp needs a finite rx packet buffer
## tcp needs a finite tx and rx byte buffer
## tcp needs to implement its tx and rx buffers as lists of packet pointers, and not raw buffers to handle correctly application-level tagged packets
## packet tagging implementation and API needs to be rewritten to track tags on a byte-basis to allow application-level tagged packets to work with tcp sockets
## tcp sockets need to implement the "send" callback as was discussed many times, that is, it needs to invoke that callback when there is new room in the tx buffer, not when a packet is sent down the stack.
# socket API additions: need to add the API Mathieu suggested in the socket thread to allow future implementations of posix C-style sockets
# socket API changes: tom suggested to move to a SocketHelper class the raw buffer management.
# python bindings: there are a number of key issues:
## need to verify that gustavo's proposed implementation addresses our key use-cases: a) allow users to write new C++ models and bind them to python without having to install gccxml CVS and pygccxml, b) allow users to modify and hack a released version of the ns3 c++ API and have the python binding still work without having to install gccxml CVS and pygccxml.
## document the overall structure of the python bindings: we need to know how they work at least from a high-level perspective. basically, a 1-page a4 document about how the code is generated and how the generated works. Assuming that the reader knows the details of the python low-level binding API works is ok.
 
==== Proposed schedule for ns-3.1 ====
 
* 22-04-2008 -> 30-05-2008: 3), 4), 2.5), 2.3), 2.4), 5). Ideally, we would be ready to merge the python binding on the 15-05-2008
* 30-05-2008:  Release release-candidate-1 (stable C++ core API)
* 15-06-2008: release release-candidate-2
* 15-06-2008 -> 30-06-2008: bug-fix only stage, documentation review, polishing
* 30-06-2008: release final version.
 
=== TBD (early August?)  (ns-3.2) ===
 
== Release process ==
 
ns-3 releases are based on date-driven schedules: rather than target a set of features for a specific version number, we aim instead for a release date and ship whatever is ready by that date. If a cool new feature misses that date, it is not a big deal because the next release is never too far away. Because the project is currently still under some heavy flux where a lot of APIs still change, the current interval between releases is expected to be roughly one month. We expect that interval to increase to 3 or 4 months once the core of the simulator has stabilized sufficiently.
 
The roadmap below is tentative. That is, the goal is to document what we would like to see in a number of releases, but, of course, since this is an Open Source project, contributors are free to work on anything they are interested in and try to merge it in earlier than stated. If we feel a specific feature targeted to a specific release just won't make it in time, we will move that feature to the next release.
 
Some of the items in this roadmap do not have anyone signed up to get work done on them. So, there is something you are interested in, ask on ns-developers.
 
Detailed steps for doing the source code release are found in the [http://code.nsnam.org/ns-3-dev/file/1e8249c58fda/doc/release_steps.txt doc/release_steps.txt] file in the ns-3-dev repository. 
 
=== Deadlines ===
 
There are a few deadlines and steps for incorporating code into a scheduled ns-3 release:
 
* '''(15 days prior)''' deadline for posting any patches or private repos that are solicited for review/comment, for possible check in to the upcoming release.  These are for patches or repos that can be considered as extensions to the simulator.  Post a summary to the list, allow 7 days (minimum) for comments, and if all comments and issues can be resolved in that time window, it can go into the next release; otherwise it slides until when things are resolved.
* '''(7 days prior)''' deadline for being in a "ready-to-merge" state, which means that there is agreement that comments from the previous stage have been resolved and that the change can go in.  Perhaps a "last-call" announcement by the release manager on the list will help.
* '''(3 days prior)''' deadline for merging any extensions or new modules that change the API, or any miscellaneous changes by maintainers.  Exceptions: critical bug fixes, doxygen and documentation, and coding style alignment nits.
 
Finally, it is good practice to announce among the active committers when you are doing a major merge, to avoid bad merge collisions.

Latest revision as of 09:05, 19 March 2026

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ns-3 is a community-driven project, and as such, we cannot typically make guarantees about the availability of new or improved code; our maintainers work largely on a best-effort basis. However, we use this page to describe our goals (time-permitting) for each release, and where we broadly are trying to steer the project for the future.

ns-3.48 plans

ns-3.48 is scheduled for May 2026.

The most up-to-date listing of items being worked on in this release cycle can be seen by browsing Merge requests and Issues in the GitLab.com tracker that are tagged with the 'Milestone ns-3.48' tag.

Besides this, the following ns-3 maintainers announced plans to work on the following topics:

Long term

Historical information

see the Current_Development page for some older Roadmap items (many have been abandoned)

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